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Why These Louisvillians Aren't Voting

Denise Cross/ Creative Commons

Voter turnout in Tuesday's election was expected to be about 40 percent in some parts of Kentucky. In other parts of the state, turnout is expected to be much lower.

The election for governor, state auditor and other offices will help determine the course of the state for years to come. But the millions of Kentuckians who won't vote today may have their reasons for not heading to the polls.

Some say they couldn't get away from work. Others say they're prohibited from voting because they're convicted felons. A few cite apathy.

WFPL News producer Laura Ellis and videographer J. Tyler Franklin spoke with some non-voters in Louisville on Tuesday to find out what kept them from casting ballots. Here's what they were told.


 

"Well, I had to be at work at the crack of dawn so I didn't really get the chance. I've worked a 12-day work week, so I've been kind of out of the system here for the past couple weeks." —Jess Endicott, Clermont

"I don't really get into small things. But when it's a presidential election, that's when I get into it. Really, there's nobody that I want to vote for. It comes down to if you have a candidate that you want to vote for. And if not, what's the use of voting? You're just going to put somebody in a place where they need not to be." — Kevin Meaux, Smoketown

"Either I haven't taken the time to get fully informed and be an informed voter, or I think they're both yahoos. So why bother?" — Sam Bracken, LaGrange

"I'm a convicted felon. I don't have my rights to vote anymore. I was a drug addict for a lot of years — so I never really cared. Now that I do care, I'm not allowed to. Probably one of the things I've fought the hardest for in my life is to actually have my rights back — something I never even cared about for most of my life." — Bonnie Rumbaugh, Louisville

Listen

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/231405925" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

Polls in Kentucky close at 6 p.m.

For WFPL's voter guide to the governor's election, go here.

For the voter guide to the down-ballot races, go here.

(Image via Stephen George/WFPL News)

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